Job vacancies statistics, taken together with employment statistics, help in assessing the demand for labour. A job vacancy is a job available for immediate filling on the survey reference day and for which recruitment action has been taken by the employer.

The number of job vacancies decreased sharply from the high of 102,100 recorded in May 2000 to 83,400 in May 2001. This decrease was due mainly to a large fall in New South Wales (down 13,400). Only South Australia (up 500), Northern Territory (up 300) and Tasmania (up 100) recorded increases (table 6.19).

6.19 JOB VACANCIES, By State/Territory

State/Territory

May 1996

’000

May 1997

’000

May 1998

’000

May 1999

’000

May 2000

’000

May 2001

’000

New South Wales

30.8

24.6

25.6

37.5

41.8

28.4

Victoria

14.3

14.3

25.9

22.1

26.2

23.8

Queensland

9.1

15.2

19.6

10.9

*15.7

13.9

South Australia

3.0

3.8

3.3

4.4

5.0

5.5

Western Australia

6.7

10.8

13.9

8.3

7.9

6.4

Tasmania

0.9

1.7

0.7

*2.0

1.3

1.4

Northern Territory

1.0

1.1

1.9

*1.3

1.2

1.5

Australian Capital Territory

0.9

1.2

1.5

2.4

3.0

2.5

Australia

66.7

72.7

92.5

88.9

102.1

83.4

Source: Job Vacancies, Australia (6354.0).

Table 6.20 shows that, of the 18,700 decrease in job vacancies in Australia between May 2000 and May 2001, the largest decreases occurred in Property and business services (by 4,700), Personal and other services (by 3,900) and Manufacturing (by 3,800), with small movements in other industries.

6.20 JOB VACANCIES, By Industry(a)

Industry

May 1996

’000

May 1997

’000

May 1998

’000

May 1999

’000

May 2000

’000

May 2001

’000

Mining

3.7

1.5

1.1

1.1

0.8

1.2

Manufacturing

10.7

7.5

8.3

12.2

*12.2

*8.4

Electricity, gas and water supply

0.2

0.3

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.3

Construction

1.5

5.9

7.8

*4.6

*4.4

*3.4

Wholesale trade

2.9

6.4

7.6

*6.6

5.2

*5.9

Retail trade

13.2

9.0

15.5

9.0

8.3

7.9

Accommodation, cafes and restaurants

3.7

6.0

4.5

8.9

*8.5

6.1

Transport and storage

2.4

0.7

1.7

*2.7

2.9

1.5

Communication services

0.3

0.3

0.3

1.2

1.5

0.6

Finance and insurance

3.6

5.0

3.1

3.1

5.2

4.9

Property and business services

9.4

13.1

22.5

*17.2

*20.0

15.3

Government administration and defence

2.5

3.3

3.8

4.7

4.9

5.9

Education

2.8

2.8

3.7

3.1

6.7

3.6

Health and community services

5.9

7.9

7.7

7.7

9.7

11.0

Cultural and recreational services

1.3

1.9

1.2

*3.1

2.9

2.9

Personal and other services

2.6

1.2

3.5

*3.4

*8.4

4.5

All industries

66.7

72.7

92.5

88.9

102.1

83.4

(a) Classified according to the Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC).

Source: Job Vacancies, Australia (6354.0).

Graph 6.21 provides trend estimates of job vacancies for the private sector and public sectors, for the period May 1981 to May 2001. It shows that, after declining to below 10,000 between 1991 and 1994, job vacancies in the public sector now stand at 15,200 in May 2001. In contrast, the number of job vacancies in the private sector has been far more volatile. After reaching a low of 19,100 in May 1991, private sector job vacancies climbed to 93,600 in August 2000, the highest level recorded to that point, before falling back to 75,300 in May 2001.